Philippine Literature [Archive]

dancethingy

November 11th, 2005, 08:50 PM

Filipino Literature

When i first arrived here in the Philippines I made it a goal, an imperative goal, to explore Filipino literature. I thought that finding a starting point for my exploration was going to be easy, but my attempts at exploring Filipino literature became a challenge when not one person in any bookstore could give me any advice on where to start. I was even startled when one salesperson recommended Jessica Hagedorn, a FILIPINO AMERICAN writer. It was so annoying to think that our peoples worth isn't official until it is verified or attached to something foreign.

So my first venture into Filipino literature was with F. Sionil Jose and it is he who has inspired me to create this thread. I have struck gold with his vast and epic collection of essays, short stories, and novels. There is something about his work that strikes a chord with me and his work so clearly expresses how i feel about our country. His work is infused with such profound melancholy regarding our country, but at the same time it is filled with nationalism and pride at what he calls "our heroic heritage."

I have only read "Wayway," "We Fililipinos: Our Moral Malaise, Our Heroic Heritage," and "Sin." I have just started his Rosales Saga Novels, which is a series of 5 Novels.

I recommend all these books, especially for all the young forumers here. We as Filipinos, if we really care to understand ourselves, need to read his works. They are so ahead of his time and so brazenly true. His essay "Our Place in the Sun" for example, written in 1997, effectively sums up all what we debate on this forum. His short story "waywaya" is an amazing account of pre-hispanic Philippines and wonderfully portrays the life of the Ilocanos and the Ifugaos before our hundreds of years of colonization.

I hope this thread grows, because i know most you are much much smarter than I on this topic. I'm so ignorant of it. Come to think of it, most of you have probably read these books or have already discussed them in the forum before my arrival. I would love more suggestions for reading.

By the way i've also been reading Nick Joaquin, but his works are not that easy to read given his love for run-on sentences. I'm going to start on him after F. Sionil Jose.

sandrin

November 11th, 2005, 11:01 PM

Florante at Laura by Francisco Balagtas is a good start for a new comer in Filipino literature. Another truly captivating short story is Ibong Adarna (The legend of Ibong Adarna) - the bird with a melancholy voice & magical sh*t.

paulkrps

November 11th, 2005, 11:50 PM

here's one by joey ayala's mom:

A Fool's Summer Song
By Tita Lacambra Ayala

Piety and angels belong to children
piety and hotels to artists and fools
who ignites the first star is struck by blindness
but who keeps his distance sees the truth

He who sees his blindness sings about it
and he who cannot see must paint the dark
he who cannot sing about his blindness
in blindness must find his way alone

For what one sees with eye or mind is what makes beauty
and beauty alone is there to share
beautiful food beautiful money
beautiful thoughts of beauty
our world of sense is all that we will ever know

paulkrps

November 11th, 2005, 11:56 PM

we cry for the unborn
not humans, not of our own
we cry, forlorn
tell me, when
that we cry for our own
we cry, oh the thorn
that we shed those
tears, we have shown
but they're not
for our own, not

poems, in the works...

Culiat

November 12th, 2005, 01:24 AM

Bangkero
Ni Lamberto E. Antonio

Kaydalas matibag ng kabilangpampang.

Sa ibayo, kumakaway ang babae,
kasama ang mga lilik at nakatalungkong mga
sako.

Ilang uhay kaya ang naamot ng pauwing ibon?

Nag-uusap ang sagwan at agos
Sa langit na itong animo'y lukot
At nangingitim na kumot.

Ang mga babae: lalong namumurok
Ang kanilang mga pisngi sa tilamsik
Ng duguang sinag. At muli kang naalala,

Mutya ng Pampangin: ang tinig mong
Kumakampay kapag ako'y walang sakay;
Ang huling kaway mo sa pantalan at sa akin

Akong hindi maitawid ng sariling bangka
Sa ilog ng paglimot.

Lili

November 12th, 2005, 02:25 AM

xXx carlos xXx

November 12th, 2005, 03:20 AM

xXx carlos xXx

November 12th, 2005, 03:21 AM

philippines has more than 24 epics so..... better know all of them... hahaha

sandrin

November 12th, 2005, 04:22 AM

good one! magical sh*t!!!! hahaha! lolz

yup, as i recall, when you hear the adarna bird sing, you must stay awake. when you fall asleep, it will sh*t down on you & will turn you into a stone, just like the medusa legend.
so how do you stay awake?
hiwain mo yung kamay mo at pigaan ng kalamansi :lol:

Solblanc

November 12th, 2005, 04:25 AM

If you're looking for something modern, try visiting the ADMU/UST/UP/DLSU press. They churn out a lot of works, and some of them are even worth reading outside the classroom.

dancethingy

November 12th, 2005, 05:45 AM

Oh my gosh, this forum is blessed with such well read informative people. That's great.

@Paulkrps, thanks for the poems
@Sandrin, magical sh*t huh? thanks for the references
@Lili, thanks too for the reference and thank you for your greetings, :) :) :) :) hehehe i haven't gone to the greetings thread, thanks :)

ThisFire

November 12th, 2005, 06:50 AM

I also think that you can never go wrong with Jose Rizal's works. :)

tigs

November 12th, 2005, 11:33 AM

read balagtasan since your into it too

Sinjin P.

November 12th, 2005, 01:27 PM

I'm sorry but I hate Filipino Classes nowadays. Why aren't they practical? They're letting us read the Noli Me Tangere with all those "out of this world super deep" Tagalog words...

Lili

November 12th, 2005, 02:37 PM

Sinjin P.

November 12th, 2005, 02:53 PM

When I was in high school, I hated Noli Me Tangere read in Tagalog, too. It made it tedious for me and lessened the experience. I wish that they will just allow us to read it in English and once we develop a flavor for it, we can decide to read it in Tagalog or in its original text in Spanish.

Try reading Florante at Laura in deep Tagalog. Then you'll be in deep sh*t. That was the most difficult reading I've encountered because there were a lot of metaphors in that epic poem.

Yeah, in 1st Year, we had Ibong Adarna which was also poetic in style but it wasn't as difficult to understand as in...

Florante at Laura, which we had last year. It was really so difficult. Our teacher makes it more difficult.

Now, we're having Noli Me Tangere. The words used simply turn me off. And next year, we're gonna have El Filibusterismo.

Oh my God. Our Filipino Curricula needs reforms.

Lili

November 12th, 2005, 03:03 PM

Yes, @sinjin. I agree with you.

dancethingy

November 12th, 2005, 03:34 PM

Hey at least you guys get some education on Filipino Literature. I'm left with squatt to fend for myself. But thanks for bringing them up so i check them out.

Is there a Filipino equivalent to Steinbeck's "East of Eden." I think "Waywaya" is the Pinoy equivalent of "Interpreter of Maladies," or maybe i should say "Interpreter of Maladies" is the Indian equivalent of "Waywaya" since "Waywaya" came first.

surfsam

November 12th, 2005, 04:04 PM

There is Tagalog for foreigners being taught at UP Diliman. And several books can be considered primers on Philippine Literature...They include:

Philippine Literature by Bienvenido Lumbera and Cynthia Lumbera (National Book Store)
Philippine Writing from the Regions by Lumbera (Anvil)
Likhaan Anthology of Philippine Literature by Gemino Abad and Cristina Hidalgo (UP Press)
Philippine Literature in English by OA Dimalanta (UST Press)

Gemino Abad also edited 3 landmark anthologies of Philippine Poetry in English--representations of Philippine poetry from 1898 to the present:

MAN OF EARTH (Ateneo Press)
A NATIVE CLEARING (UP Press)
A HABIT OF SHORES (UP Press)

You will not be disappointed. Philippine Literature is rich. But it needs to be taught properly. UP Diliman, Ateneo, La Salle, UST, UP Baguio, UP Visayas, UP Mindanao, University of San Carlos (Cebu), Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology and Silliman University (Dumaguete) do have outstanding literature and culture professors who are at the same time prizewinning writers.

The problem is that there are too many mediocre teachers dabbling in these courses. These teachers do Philippine literature a great disservice.

Mango

November 12th, 2005, 05:36 PM

Thanks @surfsam for those references. I agree with you that for students to appreciate literature, teachers play a big role.

Just like @sinjin, I didn't understand the essence of Noli and Fili during HS because of lack of explanation from the teachers. I was lucky in college to have an excellent teacher in Rizal's Works who explained the 'symbolisms' and related it to the present time---which I think is most important, what is the significance of that work.

We were made to read many short stories and essays written by Filipinos and I liked "Bread of Salt" by NVM Gonzales and "How My Brother Leon Brought Home A Wife" (Villa or Gonzales?). Again, I had a very good teacher who inspired the class to read beyond class hours.

And Sionil Jose. I had the chance to meet him personally 5 years ago at a gathering in Makati. I wanted to talked to him but he was too busy signing and people never left him alone!
Thanks din @Lili for mentioning Butch Dalisay. I don't know kung may published book na siya but so far, I am reading him in Philstar.

OtAkAw

November 12th, 2005, 05:54 PM

Try reading Genoveva Edroza-Matute and Amado V. Hernandez pieces, theyre great, contemporary and very comical except the serious ones.

paulkrps

November 14th, 2005, 07:48 PM

this a part of some published work (conversations with a chair, 1996, road map series).

Minute Details for Tomorrow

i wish
i had
a wishbone
so large
that it
wouldn't fit
my right eyebrow.

it would
sometimes
scold me
to sleep.

doze off
a weary
forthnight
of excuses.

_______

Trees with Umbrellas

trees that complain
of the hotness
of the ground under
are sure to use
umbrellas and
maybe boots.

and wear rabbits
foot for good luck.

trees that have
umbrellas tucked
under their bellies
decry the seeds
of foolish men
and kneel down
for their brains.

paulkrps

November 14th, 2005, 07:58 PM

some works from a sampler pdf.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b74/paulkrps/obras01.jpg
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b74/paulkrps/obras02.jpg
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b74/paulkrps/obras03.jpg
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b74/paulkrps/obras04.jpg
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b74/paulkrps/obras05.jpg
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b74/paulkrps/obras06.jpg
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b74/paulkrps/obras07.jpg
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b74/paulkrps/obras08.jpg
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b74/paulkrps/obras09.jpg
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b74/paulkrps/obras10.jpg
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b74/paulkrps/obras11.jpg
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b74/paulkrps/obras12.jpg

bustero

November 15th, 2005, 02:56 AM

Is this your stuff? nice!

tigs

November 15th, 2005, 04:53 AM

galing, kakaiba :okay:

dancethingy

November 15th, 2005, 05:03 AM

paulkrps

November 15th, 2005, 04:36 PM

@ bustero, @ tigidig14, @ dancethingy - thanks guys. wrote that a couple of years ago as a sampler for submission to some publication.

KulasKusgan

November 15th, 2005, 05:23 PM

@ paul: galeng! nominate kita para national artist. hehe. i saw a streamer of artisthood kanina when i passed by NCCC mall. kung naa ka diri, im sure apil unta ka didto.

paulkrps

November 15th, 2005, 05:34 PM

too late lagi dave. but that's ok, currently nagaprepare ko for the ny exhibit with the group.

Lili

November 15th, 2005, 08:01 PM

Lili

November 15th, 2005, 08:09 PM

Thanks Otakaw for the suggestions

I've noticed during my read of F. Sionil Jose's works that LOSS OF LIBIDO often comes up as a prevalent theme. I think he has issues with that.

Thanks paulkrps, :) for the images and poetry

If I remember, Pablo Neruda also suffered from loss of libido at some point in his life. So, what does this say? It made them more literary prolific?

paulkrps

November 15th, 2005, 08:31 PM

I couldn't respond right away to your poetry Paul because I was searching for words on what it elicited in me. Poetry is so personal such that it cannot be judged. The only reaction is how it affects, how it reaches out and evokes a feeling or a thought from the reader/audience. Your poetry is loaded with imagery and the internal conversation it creates in you. At the outset, my reaction was, to quote from your stanza: "I could not for the heavens of me, tune in to [your] hallowed wisdom." But as I revisited and reread the stanzas, I slowly captured the imagery in your poetry and that just like your photography makes extensive use of the interplay of light and shadow, your prose in poetry uses a unique interplay of words to project the thoughts elicited by those images, and those are very private thoughts. It would be nice to juxtapose those poems with your photographs. It will heighten the feeling and draw us into your reverie.

wow ms lili, thank you thanks. you have captured what i was trying to say, only, in some other form. this works, the poetry, the sketches and the photographs have all been incorporated in what i now call "life project". each of them fall under the "life's details". previously i was exploring the angst of immigrants (those sketches), but it seems, they form part & parcel of the whole. i was trying to see the whole, but i always end up exploring the details. i really wanted to start a book called the life project. i'm just trying to do more works and have them in a portfolio. if you or anyone else, we can form a partnership, hihihihi. seriously, i'm serious in this book, there's so many things in my mind now.

Lili

November 15th, 2005, 08:46 PM

Yes, those are snippets of your day to day or perhaps moment by moment -- concatenate thoughts seeking to project a cohesive whole and yet stuck in the minutiae. Those are parts of a collective ongoing experience that you are having -- indeed a "life project".

dancethingy

November 16th, 2005, 05:23 AM

@ Ate Lili, well maybe loss of libido would be traumatic enough of an event to inspire them to write more and to write with passion and grievance.

Lili

November 16th, 2005, 05:28 AM

Maybe, they need all the angst and the frustration they can channel to have that pathos in their works.

weirdo

November 28th, 2005, 02:37 PM

i think for non tagalog speakers they should read noli and fili translations into their own languages. i enjoyed them esp fili because it's in my vernacular. i can recongnize a few rare tagalog words and need help with some but generally i get most of them and maybe that's the reason why i became interested.

i think it will be better for our brothers there to have their rizal lessons in their language by having some sort of an official translation for his works in different languages. rizal wrote it in spanish- his language. we read it in tagalog - our language. other pinoys should have rizal in their language. in that way they too will be able to find older vocabularies in their languages that are now substituted with english and filipino. and they get a chance to preserve the uniqueness and beauty of their language.

to use filipino in all schools is enough. we don't need to force tagalog to non tagalog speakers. the idea of a filipino language is to have a common language for everyone, that is heavily based on tagalog but should be enriched with all the words from philippine and foreign languages as we develop it.

----

oi help naman jan friends. may term paper ako na kailangan mag discuss ng works from different time periods sa philippine lit. pa suggest naman ng mga gusto niyong essays, short stories, fiction sa periods na to:

precolonial
spanish period
american period

contemporary:
post war 50s & 60s
70s & 80s martial law
post edsa - present.

hirap kasi mamili e. kahit titles and authors lang. salamat!

bagel

November 28th, 2005, 05:58 PM

Tulungan kita kaso lang wala sa harap ko ang mga notes ko eh... pag uwi ko hahanapin ko. Marami akong notes tunkol sa Philippine lit ng Spanish times... Tulad ng first real Filipino novel, etc.

Naalala ko ata, may writer na taga UP, sa Lit department ata. Lumbrera ata ang pangalan. Meron siyang book na tunkol sa development of the Philippine novel. Hanapin ko ang title mamaya.

Lili

November 28th, 2005, 08:14 PM

^Bienvenido Lumbrera?

bagel

November 28th, 2005, 08:30 PM

Sorry I was wrong. I don't know where I got Lumbrera from. I guess he's one of the many names in my cobwebby head.

I was thinking of Resil Mojares. He wrote a book called Origins and Rise of the Filipino Novel: A Generic Study of the Novel until 1940. He's the Lit guy from UP I was thinking of.

The work I'm familiar with, mostly late 19th century propaganda literature is what many people identify as where the rise of native literature (in western forms) really starts. Mainly this coincides with Filipinos being more exposed to western forms of literature. I don't know much about precolonial or non-western forms of Philippine literature so I can't help you there. Anyway, in the mid 1800s, you get the beginning of the native newspapering. They were mostly written in Spanish (Diario de Manila, Gaceta de Manila, El Comercio, La Opinion, El Eco de Filipinas) and were pro-Spanish.

MH Del Pilar in 1882 published the Diariong Tagalog and is thought to be the first tagalog paper. Also in other parts, provincial papers also started... El Eco de Vigan, El Porvenir de Visayas (Iloilo) and El Boletin de Cebu. Isabelo delos Reyes started the El Ilocano.

Anyway, as more people read papers, more and more people became aware of the Philippines as an entity separate from Spain and Mexico. But people also started to write pieces that focused on Philippine ideas with Filipino motifs and Filipino aesthetics. They became more literary and less journalistic.

Isabelo de los Reyes wrote the El Folkloro Filipino that recounts Philippine folklore. Good reading, this. He started I think as a journalist, but like other people in Rizal's vein, he was also a rennaisance man and did a whole lot of other things. Most importantly he was intrested in native culture in ways Rizal never was. For Rizal, native culture was Tagalog culture. In fact, Rizal disdained how de los Reyes elevated Ilocano lifeways into "a culture."

Pedro Paterno wrote poetry in a small collection called Sampaguitas. But they were boring. He's most notable for writing a novel called Ninay: Novela de Costumbres Filipinas in 1859. Resil Mojares I think identifies this as the first distinctly Filipino novel. It isn't really remembered because Rizal's Noli came and outshined Ninay as an important work. Ninay was called a "cuadro de costumbres" because it tried to depict native customs and practices. What's remarkable about it is that unlike Isabelo de Los Reyes's Folkloro, this isn't an anthropological work. It has a novel narrative. Has a story that takes place in the Philippines and has characters that are indios (since you can't really call them Filipino yet). It's also the "first Filipino novel" because Paterno identifies himself as Filipino.

Other names you can look into:
MH Del Pilar. He used native forms and customs to advance the western idea of nationalism in literature in prose form.
Jose Rizal. No explanation needed. If Ninay by Paterno was the proto-Filipino novel, Rizal's Noli is the first truly Filipino novel. It's the most important literary work produced by a Filipino writer.

Anyway, those are the major names I can think of. Pick up Mojares's book and also look into the original works by these people as examples of Propaganda era literature.

Lili

November 28th, 2005, 09:12 PM

Anthony,

Check this site. It might be helpful to narrow down your selection.

http://www.seasite.niu.edu/Tagalog/Literature/literary_forms_in_philippine_lit.htm

I also checked Lumbera's book based on what Mike initially mentioned. It is Philippine Literature: A History and Anthology by Bienvenido Lumbera and Cynthia Nograles Lumbera.

Off the top of my head, my suggestions will be:

Precolonial: Aliguyon (Hudhud): Tales of the Ifugao as translated by Amador Daguio; Code of Kalantiao or Codigo de Maragtas (is this true or a hoax?)

Spanish colonial: Doctrina Christiana; excerpts from Historia de las Islas Filipinas; a writing by Jesus Balmori or any of the zarzuelas

American: Carlos Bulosan's America is in the Heart; Jose Garcia Villa

Post War 50s or 60s: Paz Latorena; Sinai C. Hamada; NVM Gonzalez; Amado Hernandez, etc.

70s & 80s: Scripts of Ricky Lo

Post EDSA to present: short stories and essays of Butch Dalisay and Jessica Zafra

Yun muna.

bagel

November 28th, 2005, 09:21 PM

Not to take away from Anthony's interesting call for suggestions, here's a short article about NVM Gonzales as well as announcements and book publishings.

Mothers Earth & literary tributes (for Star, Nov. 28, 2005)

by Alfred A. Yuson

Everyone’s pitching in to help Narita Gonzalez, widow of the late great
and beloved writer NVM Gonzalez, rebuild her family’s home at the UP
Diliman campus. In the wake of that tragic fire ten days ago that consumed
NVM’s literary treasures and his family’s possessions, a flurry of e-mail
and text messages has gone around, globally at that, to ensure that the
spirit of the phoenix rises again through sheer strength of communal
concern and camaraderie.

It is the same spirit that won the test when fictionist in Filipino Jun
Cruz Reyes suffered a similar mishap over a year ago. Literary readings
cum musical concerts were quickly mounted to assure dear Jun of everyone’s
support.

Now the instant call for start-up donations for the Gonzalez family, led
off by Mila Aguilar and Jimmy Abad of UP, has generated positive response
from UPSCAns in the U.S. Linda Nietes, an online Filipiniana book seller
in California, is committing her own effort to galvanize Fil-Am writers
and literature lovers, especially in San Francisco which declared an NVM
Gonzalez Day in the 1990s.

A parallel call to help restart a new archive for NVM’s literary
memorabilia is being addressed with equal dispatch. Fil-Am poet Nick Carbo
in Miami has inquired about the possibility of sending in copies of his
correspondence with NVM when he was conducting preliminary work on his
landmark anthology Returning A Borrowed Tongue.

We expect a similar gesture from Fil-Am poet-novelist Bino Realuyo of New
York, who still treasures a grace note he received from NVM sometime in
1997, when the master chanced upon the young fellow’s first poems ever
published here, in The Evening Paper. At the time, NVM was in Baguio City,
serving in the panel at the UP Writers Workshop, but he took the trouble
of commending Realuyo’s poetry with a handwritten encomium.

Fiction writer and journalist Lakambini “Bing” Sitoy, recent returnee
from lengthy peregrination in Europe, has also helped lead the effort with
a detailed, front-page story on the blaze that ironically seemed to cap a
month of fast and furious literary goings-on.

We’ve had book launches galore, for one, which have had us shuttling
nearly daily among venues in Makati, Ortigas, and Quezon City. Tributes
have also kept the pace up in making it a memorable month, till Hermann
Melville’s “When it’s a grey November in your soulÖ” brought us all down
to charred earth with that improvidential fire.

But there’s no stopping writers from picking themselves up from a nadir
and quickly assuming “grace under pressure,” per Ernest Hemingway, so that
the NVM Gonzalez Awards ceremony still pushed on last Saturday at the UP
Executive House, where dear Mother Earth Narita herself expectedly became
a picture of amazing grace.

It may be a bit inappropriate to say that the torch has been passed, but
indeed it has, to the next generation of fine fiction writers of which the
NVM Gonzalez Awards 2005 winner, Exie Abola, bids to be a fast-rising
exemplar. Congratulations to Exie, who teaches with us at the English
Department of the Ateneo de Manila University. He’s off to a hat trick,
having won the top prize in the Palanca short story contest last
September.

A nodding hello was all we shared with him during Greg Brillantes’
launching of three books at UP’s Balay Kalinaw on November 16. We hadn’t
known yet that Exie had won the NVM Prize, else we would have offered
early kudos and a brotherly abrazo.

By the by, Greg’s three new books, with characteristically kilometric
titles, were: Chronicles of Interesting Times: Essays, Discourses, Gems of
Wisdom, Some Laughs and Other Non-Biodegradable Articles (Anvil); The
Cardinal’s Sins, the General’s Cross, the Martyr’s Testimony and Other
Affirmations (AdMU Press); and Looking for Rizal in Madrid: Journeys,
Latitudes, Perspectives, Destinations (UP Press).

That was the same afternoon when the eminent scholar and annual balikbayan
Vince Rafael, of the University of Washington in Seattle, gave a talk in
Ateneo and pre-launched his latest title, The Promise of the Foreign:
Nationalism and the Technics of Translation in the Spanish Philippines
(Anvil). The official launch was held the following day at PowerBooks in
Greenbelt, Makati, but then we had to stick it out at the Loyola Heights
campus for another bellwether event, the ALIWW or Ateneo Library of
Women’s Writing’s tribute to Tita Lacambra Ayala.

Billed as “Sunflowers and Road Maps: The Many Lives of Tita Lacambra
Ayala,” the 11th Paz Marquez Benitez Memorial Lecture/Exhibit at the Pardo
de Tavera Room of the Rizal Library also served to launch Tita’s latest
title: The Rocking Chair Stories (Giraffe Books).

Now, dear Tita’s another mother slash sister slash poet-friend with whom
we’ve kept a lifelong bond of caring correspondence. Seeing her paintings
at the library’s walls, and her literary archives on exhibit in glass
cases, was like being transported back through time and gaining refreshed
perspective.

Her celebrity offspring, Joey Ayala and Cynthia Alexander, offered musical
numbers for Mama Tita, while yet another pair of Mothers Earth, poet
Marjorie Evasco and environmentalist Odette Alcantara, paid tribute to the
Davao star who signs her artworks with “TALA” — her initials. For Tita,
our generational lady of the flowers who has also mothered The Roadmap
Series that regularly features Davao’s young poets and painters, the
literary homage was certainly long overdue.

That afternoon, we couldn’t help but think of another lady from Davao,
Aida Rivera Ford, who must have recently offered flowers at the foot of
the greater than life-sized statue of NVM Gonzalez at her very own River
Ford Park, where it stands some meters away from another statue, that of
his companero Nick Joaquin.

Another tribute, billed as “An Epic of a Poet: Homage to Cirilo F.
Bautista,” was conducted by the De La Salle University,
its Department of Literature, and the Bienvenido N. Santos Creative
Writing Center on November 24, at DLSU’s Marilen Gaerlan Conservatory.
Among the speakers who rendered homage
by deconstructing Bautista’s prodigious output (epic and lyric poetry,
criticism, stories and a novel, in English and Filipino) was Dr. Isagani
Cruz.

And of course there was that Saturday series of tributes billed as “Pete
Lacaba: Retrospektib” held at the News Desk CafÈ on Scout MadriÒan in
Quezon City, where writers and entertainers read along or sung with Ka
Pete, who turned a golden 60 last week.

By the by, a couple of other books launched recently were Merlinda Bobis’
Banana Heart Summer (Anvil) and R. Pandan Torres’ Days of Grace: Selected
Poems and New, 1984-2002.

Merlinda took a vacation from her teaching post at the University of
Wollongong in Australia to launch her latest fiction title and spend a
couple of weeks in her native Bicol. Bacolodnon RayBoy Pandan, a Dumaguete
workshop alumnus, joined our ranks of authors with his first poetry
collection, which was launched at the University of St. La Salle in
Bacolod last Thursday.

Lastly, our congratulations to our Fil-Am bro Oscar PeÒaranda of San
Francisco, CA for winning the Global Filipino Literary Award for Fiction
from the e-zine Our Own Voice, for his short fiction collection Seasons by
the Bay (T’boli Publishing, SF). Manong Oka was also recently honored with
a tribute in San Francisco for his continuing fine work in poetry,
fiction, education and community involvement. One of the stories in the
prizewinning book will be included in OOV’s yearend issue, which may be
accessed at www.oovrag.com

Lili

November 28th, 2005, 09:27 PM

^ How come you have access to all these information? You're more like a UP alum than me. It all makes me UP nostalgic.

bagel

November 28th, 2005, 09:31 PM

The above was published in the Star. I get a lot of email about books and stuff because I am a member of an email list/Yahoo group for people in academia, writers, journalists, etc.

Lili

November 28th, 2005, 09:34 PM

^ All the better for us here in the forum. The info gets filtered down to us. Thanks.

bagel

November 28th, 2005, 09:37 PM

Well yeah I filter a little. If I post some of discussions we have on the list here, people will once again say "Oh those academics... they're all CPP NPA."

Lili

November 28th, 2005, 09:55 PM

^ I know. I have a different discussion fora for those types of discussions. It's not that I'm sympathetic or unsympathetic to these persuasions but sometimes you know when an immovable object meets an irresistible force. The other forum, though, can be exasperating because they are all so highfalutin there. At least here, I get a good mix of the sublime, the inane and the in-between.

weirdo

November 29th, 2005, 12:11 AM

salamat salamat!

hoax yang kalantiao.

nakahiram na ako nung phil lit history & anthology ni lumbera & lumbera. yey.

salamat uli!

Lili

November 29th, 2005, 12:31 AM

Ayun. I-discuss mo na hoax. Galingan mo ha?

weirdo

November 29th, 2005, 07:31 PM

:) tinanong ko kung pede doctrina. sabi prof ko, pero babasahin mo lahat un. nya kakatakot. baka kunin ko na lang essays. hehe.

bagel

November 30th, 2005, 07:55 AM

NATIONAL FELLOWSHIP LECTURE
Last November 22, Prof. Eugene Y. Evasco delivered
his lecture entitled Awit ni Amai Sondak, Landas ni
Minayun at ang mga Pamahiin ng ating Panahon as the UP
ICW National Fellow for Children’s Literature at the
Faculty Center’s Pulungang Recto where Mr. Ricardo Lee
also talked about his Tatlong S as the UP ICW National
Fellow for Drama last September 21.
WRITERS’ NIGHT AND OTHER LITERARY EVENTS ON DECEMBER 7
On December 7 at the UP Faculty Center’s Pulungang
Recto, three literary events will happen:
At 1pm, the oldest national organization of young
poets – Linangan sa Imahen, Retorika, at Anyo (LIRA) –
will celebrate its 20th anniversary
under the theme: "KAILANGAN BA ANG LIRA SA PANULAANG
FILIPINO?" Discussants invited are Dr. Benilda Santos,
Prof. Paolo Manalo, Prof. Allan Popa, Jowie de los
Reyes together with LIRA members Prof. Joey Baquiran,
Dr. Rebecca Anonuevo, Prof. Edgar Samar, Prof. Luna
Sicat-Cleto, at Hernani Rafael. Ventriloquist Ony
Carcamo and singer Mike Coroza will perform, while
performance poet Vim Nadera will be the master of
ceremonies. The founder of LIRA, Dean Virgilio
Almario, also National Artist for Literature, will be
the guest of honor.
At 3pm, LIKHAAN: U.P. Institute of Creative Writing,
in cooperation with the Gonzalo Gonzalez Foundation,
will reveal this year’s winner of the First Book
Award. Dr. Jose Neil Garcia heads the Board of Judges
which includes Dr. Jaime An Lim and Ms. Jessica Zafra.
Atty. Gizela Gonzalez-Montinola will formally
announce the winner.
At 6pm, the 27 year-old UP ICW will host the annual
Writers Night. Writers’ Night is a festive occasion
for writers and lovers of literature to get together
for an evening of enjoyment and reminiscing. This
tradition has
been kept alive by the different Directors of the
Institute of Creative Writing throughout the years and
is much anticipated not only by Filipino writers
but also the Filipino artists’ community, members of
the media, and friends.
This year’s event will raise funds for the family of
the late National Artist NVM Gonzalez whose house was
recently gutted by fire. On the hand, the first book
of poems of UP ICW Administrative Office AFV Serrano
entitled Quantum Fluctuations, launched earlier by the
University of Santo Tomas Publishing House will be
made available to interested buyers.
For inquiries and donations to the auction, contact
the UP ICW Office at 922-1830.
UP ICW ISSUES NEW GUIIDELINES FOR WRITERS' WORKSHOP
LIKHAAN: The UP Institute of Creative Writing (UP
ICW) recently announced that it is now accepting
applications for the 45th UP National Writers Workshop
to be held in Baguio for one week in the summer of
2006. UP ICW Director, Professor Vim Nadera, also
announced that 12 fellowships are available and that
these are open only to advanced writers. He explained
that since there is a proliferation of creative
writing workshops on both the national and local
levels, beginning writers now have many other options.
Nadera also announced the new Workshop Guidelines.
QUALIFICATIONS – To qualify, applicants: (1) must be
writers in English or Filipino; (2) must have attended
at least one creative writing workshop
(national/regional, including the UP National Writers’
Workshops), or earned a degree in Creative
Writing/Malikhaing Pagsulat, or won at least 1
national/international literary award; (3) must have
published at least 3 poems or 2 short stories or 2
pieces of creative nonfiction (e.g., essays, memoirs,
profiles) in reputable collections or anthologies,
journals, magazines (including campus publications),
or refereed Internet web magazines. Writers who have
been Fellows at any of the UP National Writers’
Workshops are eligible.
Some of these qualifications may be waived in
exceptionally meritorious cases, with the unanimous
concurrence of the UP ICW Associates, Advisers and
Resident Fellows.
REQUIREMENTS – Applicants must submit the following:
(1) four copies plus digital file (12 points,
double-spaced, 8.5 x 11) of an original unpublished
manuscript (1 short story, 2 poems, 1 creative
nonfiction, or 1 one-act play) to be discussed during
the Workshop – this manuscript should not have been
submitted to any other Workshop; (2) a 200-word
description of a work-in-progress in any of the above
genres, in English or Filipino (also 12 points,
double-spaced, 8.5 x 11); (3) photocopies of the
applicant’s published works, including publication
details; and (4) an application form (available at the
UP ICW office in UP Diliman and on the ICW website:
http://www.up.edu.ph/~icw).
Deadline for submission of application is December
15, 2005. For inquiries, call 922-1830.

weirdo

November 30th, 2005, 06:42 PM

ayos bigatin lahat ng names sa event. ang hirap na talaga sumali sa up workshop.

dancethingy

November 30th, 2005, 08:09 PM

Intellectuals you all are

Lili

November 30th, 2005, 09:09 PM

:) tinanong ko kung pede doctrina. sabi prof ko, pero babasahin mo lahat un. nya kakatakot. baka kunin ko na lang essays. hehe.

Siguro natawa sa yo yung Prof. mo nung tinanong mo yung Doctrina Christiana. :lol:

weirdo

December 1st, 2005, 02:33 AM

:) naisip ko kung gayahin ko na lang yung pag group ni efren abueg. sa spanish period niya kasi hiwalay yung religious sa propaganda writings.

siguro ang gagamitin ko yung dasalan at tocsohan ni plaridel.

Lili

December 1st, 2005, 03:10 AM

^ Parang maganda yang idea mo na yan.

amras

December 1st, 2005, 04:11 AM

anyone has a copy of any of these short plays, "Go Rider" and "New Yorker in Tondo?"
di ko na kasi mahagilap ang copies ko...

sista

December 1st, 2005, 08:43 AM

I just finished Lalaki Sa Dilim by Benjamin P. Pascual for my project. I must say, it's a very good read even though I find the ending quite corny lol

weirdo

December 2nd, 2005, 01:26 AM

for my project i'm thinking of including paz marquez benitez's dead stars for american period (first modern short story raw in philippine lit) and estrella alfon's english for postwar. also paul stephen lim's flight for 80s.

i've six days to work on it kaya cram na to!

Lili

December 2nd, 2005, 01:52 AM

^ Sana mag-enjoy ka rin sa project mo. Mukha naman maganda ang selections.

Udon Eater

December 2nd, 2005, 01:55 AM

The trick to cramming is sleeping. You can fit more work in a workday by sleeping well-- you don't get tired too easily.

(and also the trick to cramming is doing enough work ahead of time to avoid cramming)

Lili

December 2nd, 2005, 02:51 AM

The trick to cramming is cramming. Adrenaline rush will get you by. Just make sure that you crash only after you've finished the projects.

bagel

December 2nd, 2005, 03:42 AM

Ay nako. Speaking of which. I have to get back to mine.

ishtefh_03

December 2nd, 2005, 08:35 AM

filipino literature??? i like reading the books made by bob ong... kahit papaano meron pa rin akong fave author na pinoy which is bob ong and also pol medina pala... i like readign pugad baboy...

sista

December 2nd, 2005, 01:15 PM

The trick to cramming is cramming. Adrenaline rush will get you by. Just make sure that you crash only after you've finished the projects.

Agreed!....there is an art to cramming lol :D...I crammed my book in 5 days lol because I'm fall asleep everytime I'm in the middle of reading lol

jef7

March 3rd, 2006, 08:20 AM

Filipino Literature

So my first venture into Filipino literature was with F. Sionil Jose and it is he who has inspired me to create this thread. I have struck gold with his vast and epic collection of essays, short stories, and novels. There is something about his work that strikes a chord with me and his work so clearly expresses how i feel about our country. His work is infused with such profound melancholy regarding our country, but at the same time it is filled with nationalism and pride at what he calls "our heroic heritage."

I definitely agree. F. Sionil Jose is an excellent story teller. I've enjoyed his novel Viajero very much.

You have mentioned about Jessica Hagedorn, well I think she is also significant because some of her works definitely offer useful insights on important political and socio-economic issues in the Philippines. Dogeaters I think is a must read considering some of these aspects.

There are so many other important literary works of great Filipino authors but my ultimate favorite is J. Rizal's Noli Me Tangere.

John Odom

August 9th, 2006, 08:42 PM

When in the Philippines, I had to read Noli in Tagalog in the Tagalog class. As an American my Tagalog was very poor. I think it would have meant more to me if it had been part of the Philippine history class in English, or even in my Spanish (Foreign Language ) class. I used an english translation for help!

Since it was written in Spanish why is it taught in Pilipino class, and not as part of the literature section of English classes?

Culiat

August 9th, 2006, 08:58 PM

John Odom

August 9th, 2006, 11:21 PM

Then, in the aftermath of WWII, most of my Filipino friends and classmates could read, write and study in English better than in Tagalog. Many were not Tagalogs. Pilipino, as a national language was not yet ireally implemented. English was the language of instruction in all the schools, and Philippine History class was taught in English. My thought was that if one were going to use a translation, the one that would be most easily studied should be the choice. Of course the situstion has probably changed, since I left the Philippines 54 years ago! I would very much like to return for a long visit.

I feel that my experience taking Philippine history in the Philippines from a Filipino teacher and then taking US history, including the Spanish-American and Philippine-American wars, in the US form an American teacher was invaluable. It made me realize how severely biased all the textbooks, on both sides of the Pacific, are.

Sinjin P.

September 14th, 2006, 05:38 AM

Moved.

demented_pigeon

September 15th, 2006, 04:11 PM

Virgilio Almario, Lope K. Santos, Francisco Balagtas, Nick Joaquin, Pol Medina Jr., F. Sionil Jose, Jose Rizal (para sa pulitikal na nobelang El Filibusterismo), at si Bienvenido Lumbera

Sinjin P.

October 11th, 2006, 06:30 AM

http://www.globalpinoy.com/ch/images/literature_theme.jpg

Literature reflects the culture of a nation. It can serve as a tool to express a feeling and emotion. Remember during the Spanish regime, Rizal exploited the functions of literature. His two novels, Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo contained a lot of subversive themes that sparked the revolution and consequently the victory over the Spaniards.

Literature is deeply rooted in the culture of a nation. Stories and poems reflect the local color of its origin. The poem "Stopping by the Woods" by Robert Frost may not be too appealing to local readers because of the presence of snow in the poem. Our geography doesn't allow us to experience snow. Ildefonso Santos' poem "Katlea," on other hand, shows more local color. Cattleya is a flower that even an ordinary Filipino knows.

Liwayway magazine had worked itself into the consciousness of Tagalog readers as an outlet for short stories and serial novels. It brought literature inside the houses of the common Filipino. In many Filipino households before the War in the Pacific broke, the day of issue of Liwayway was eagerly awaited, and family members would gather around the person assigned to give an oral reading of a favorite serial novel from the new issue.

Literature provides a common knowledge that allows people to talk, share information and experiences. The importance of knowing the indigenous forms of Philippine literature is to gain more knowledge about our own country. Its aim in general is to announce and flaunt one's culture.

Sinjin P.

October 11th, 2006, 06:31 AM

Ang Alamat

Knowledge about historical times was made known to us by illustrations through stories called legends. Since it is man’s nature to be curious and to always find explanations or justifications why certain things exist or do happen, Alamat serves as the gateway in unleashing man’s thoughts and creativity. These stories were not written but were spread through mouth and transferred from one generation to the next. Alamat are usually stories about how the world was created, the first man and woman, how islands existed, and many others. It is usually a product of man’s imaginations and lack scientific basis but some are maybe really based on real events; but this still doesn’t make it a credible reference on history since it is susceptible to alterations as it is just told and passed on by mouth.

Sinjin P.

October 11th, 2006, 06:31 AM

Alamat ng Lansones

http://www.globalpinoy.com/ch/images/ch_filipinolit_alamat/ch_alamat_lanzones.jpgTumunog ang kampana sa munting Kapilya ng isang nayon sa bayan ng Paete, lalawigan ng Laguna. Napabalikwas si Manuel at masuyong ginising ang nahihimbing na kabiyak. "Gising na Edna, at tayo'y mahuhuli sa misa." Marahang nagmulat ng mga mata ang babae, kumurap-kurap at nang mabalingan ng tingin ang asawa ay napangiti.

Mabilis na gumayak ang mag-asawa upang magsimba sa misang minsan sa isang buwan idinaraos sa kanilang nayon ng kura paroko ng bayan. Hindi nagtagal at ang mag-asawa ay kasama na sa pulutong ng mga taga-nayong patungo sa Kapilya. Magkatabing lumuhod sa isang sulok ang magkabiyak at taimtim na nananalangin. "Diyos ko," and marahang panalangin ni Edna, "Patnubayan mo po kami sa aming pamumuhay, nawa'y huwag magbago ang pagmamahal sa akin ni Manuel." Si Manuel naman ay taimtim ding dumadalangin sa kaligtasan ng asawa, na alam niyang nagtataglay sa sinapupunan ng unang binhi ng kanilang pag-iibigan.

Nang matapos ang misa ay magiliw na inakay ni Manuel ang kabiyak at sila'y lumakad na pauwi sa kanilang tahanan. Sa kanilang marahang paglalakad ay biglang napahinto si Edna.

"Naku! kay gandang mga bunga niyon," ang wika kay Manuel sabay turo sa puno ng lansones na hitik na hitik sa bunga. "Gusto ko niyon, ikuha mo ako," ani Ednang halos tumulo ang laway sa pananabik. Napakurap-kurap si Manuel. Hindi niya malaman ang gagawin. Alam niyang ang lansones ay lason at hindi maaring kainin ngunit batid din naman niyang nagdadalang-tao ang asawa at hindi dapat biguin sa pagkaing hinihiling. Sa pagkakatigagal ng lalaki ay marahan siyang kinalabit ni Edna at muling sumamong ikuha siya ng mga bunga ng lansones.

"Iyan ay lason kaya't hindi ko maibibigay sa iyo." Pagkarinig ni Edna sa wika ng asawa ay pumatak ang luha. Sunod-sunod na hikbi ang pumulas sa kanyang mga labi. Parang ginugutay ang dibdib ni Manuel sa malaking habag sa asawa ngunit tinigasan niya ang kanyang loob.

Masuyong inakbayan ni Manuel ang asawa at marahang nangusap. "Huwag na iyan ang hilingin mo, alam mo namang iya'y lason. Hayaan mo at pagdating natin sa bahay ay pipitas ako sa duluhan ng mga manggang manibalang."

Walang imikan nilang tinalunton ang landas patungo sa kanilang tahanan. Ang maaliwalas na langit ng kanilang pag-iibigan ay biglang sinaputan ng ulap. Ni hindi sinulyapan ni Edna ang mga manggang manibalang na pitas ni Manuel sa kanilang duluhan. Ang babae'y laging nagkukulong sa silid, ayaw tumikim man lamang ng pagkain at ayaw tapunan ng tingin ang pinagtatampuhang asawa.

Hindi nagtagal ang babae'y naratay sa banig ng karamdaman. Hindi malaman ni Manuel ang gagawin sa kalunoslunos na kalagayan ng asawa."Edna, ano ba ang dinaramdam mo?" lipos na pag-aalalang wika ni Manuel habang buong pagsuyong hinahaplos ang noo ng maysakit.

Marahang iling lamang ang itinugon ng nakaratay at dalawang butil ng luha ang nag-uunahang gumulong sa pisngi. Balisang nagpalakad-lakad si Manuel sa tabi ng maysakit. Hindi niya matagalang tignan ang payat na kaanyuan ngayon na kaibang-kakaiba sa dating Ednang sinuyo niya't minahal. Wala na ngayon ang namumurok na pisngi, ang dating mapupungay na mga mata'y malalamlam, wala na ang ningning ng kaligayahan, maputla ang dati'y mapupulang mga labi at mistulang larawan ng kamatayan.

Noong hindi na niya makaya ang damdaming lumulukob sa kanyang pagkatao ay mabilis siyang nagpasiya. Kukunin niya ang mga bunga ng lansones. Ang bunga ng kamatayang pinakamimithi ng kanyang asawa. Sa wakas ay isinuko rin niya ang katigasan ng kanyang loob, dahil sa matinding habag sa kabiyak.

Nanaog siya at tinungo ang puno ng lansones. Nanginginig ang kamay na pinitas ang isang kumpol ng bunga ng kamatayan.

"Diyos ko, tulungan mo po kami, pinakamamahal ko ang aking asawa at wala ng halaga sa akin ang buhay kung siya'y mawawala pa sa aking piling," nangangatagal ang mga labing marahan niyang naiusal kasabay ng mariing pagpikit ng mga mata. Sunod-sunod na patak ng luha ang nalaglag sa pagkagunitang ang bungang iyon ang tatapos sa lahat ng kanilang kaligayahan.

Sa pagmumulat niya ng paningin siya'y nabigla. Anong laking himala! May nabuong liwanag sa kanyang harapan at gayon na lamang ang kanyang panggigilalas noong iyon ay maging isang napakagandang babaing binusilak sa kaputian. Humalimuyak ang bangong sa tanang buhay niya ay noon lamang niyang masamyo. Sa tinig na waring isang anghel ay marahang nangungusap ang babae. "Anak ko, kainin mo ang bungang iyong hawak."

Nagbantulot sumunod si Manuel sapagkat alam niyang ang bungang iyon ay lason. Sa nakitang pagaalinlangan ni Manuel ay muling nangusap ang babaeng nakaputi. "Huwag kang matakot, kainin mo ang bungang iyong hawak." Pagkasabi noo'y kumuha ng isang bunga sa hawak na kumpol ni Manuel at ito'y marahang pinisil.

Mawala ang takot ni Manuel at mabilis na tinalupan ang isang bunga ng lansones. Anong sarap at anong tamis! Nang ibaling niya ang paningin sa babaeng nakaputi ay nawala na ito. Biglang naglaho at saan man niya igala ang kanyang mata ay hindi makita. "Salamat po, Diyos ko!" ang nabikas ni Manuel. Biglang sumigla ang katawan ni Manuel at hindi magkandatutong pinitas ang lahat ng mga bungang makakaya niyang dalhin at nagdudumaling umuwi sa naghihintay na asawa.

source: www.tagalog-dictionary.com

Sinjin P.

October 12th, 2006, 06:17 AM

Alamat ng Macopa

http://www.globalpinoy.com/ch/images/ch_filipinolit_alamat/ch_alamat_macopa.jpg

Noong mga unang taon nang pananakop ng mga Kastila sa Pilipinas, tahimik at maligayang namumuhay ang mga tao sa isang nayon sa Kailokohan. Madaling naihasik ng mga Kastila ang Kritiyanismo sa nayong yaon sapagkat ang mga mamamayan ay mababait at masunurin. Kilala rin sila sa kasipagan at pagkamadasalin.

Ganyan na lamang ang pagmamahal at pag-iingat ng mga tao roon sa gintong kampana sapagkat nananalig silang sa kampanang yaon nakasalalay ang takbo ng kanilang pamumuhay. Nagsisilbi yaong inspirasyon nila sa buhay. Lalo silang nagsisikap na mapaunlad ang kanilang kabuhayan.

Ang kampanang ginto ay naging sagrado at napakahalaga sa mga mamamayan, naging laging usap-usapan hanggang mabalitaan ng masasamang loob sa isang malayong pook. Nais din nila ang kasaganaan, kaya't hinangad nilang mapasakanila ang kampana.

Lihim silang bumalangkas ng kaparaanan. Nalaman nilang sa itaas ng simbahan nakalagay ang kampana. Isang gabing madilim ay nagsipaghanda sila at tinungo ang pook ng simbahan. Mangyari na ang mangyari, pilit nilang kukunin ang kampana.

Sa kabutihang-palad, may nakapagbalita naman sa mga pari sa napipintong panloloob sa simbahan. Nalaman nilang ang kampana ay nanakawin kaya't buong ingat nila itong ibinaba at lihim na ibinaon. Ipagsasanggalang nila ito anuman ang kanilang sapitin!

Nang dumating ang masasamang loob ay hindi na nila nakita ang kampanang ginto. Laking galit nila! Dahil sa pagkabigo, pinagpapatay nilang lahat ang nasa simbahan sapagkat ayaw magtapat sa kinaroroonan ng kampana.

Anong lungkot sa taong bayan kinabukasan! Patay lahat ang mga tao sa simbahan – ang mga pari, sakristan at ilang mga tauhan! Wala ang kampana at walang nakakaalam kung saan ito naroroon.

Inasikaso ng taong bayan ang mga bangkay at inilibing ang mga iyon ng buong dangal.

Mula noon, ang tagingting ng kampana ay hindi na narinig sa nayong naturan. Nalungkot na ang mga tao at nawalan na sila ng sigla at pag-asa. Tinamad na rin sila at natuyo ang kanilang pananim. Umunti na ng umunti ang kanilang ani at mga alagang hayop.

Lumipas ang maraming taon at ang tungkol sa kampana ay nalimot na ng mga tao. Nangamatay na ang matatandang nakakaalam sa kasaysayan ng kampanang ginto at ang mga kabataan nama'y wala nang nalalaman tungkol doon.

Sa loob ng bakuran ng simbahan ay may tumubong isang punong di pa kilala ng mga tao. Ito'y nagbunga ng hugis kampana, makikislap na pula ang labas at maputing parang bulak ang laman. Sapagkat nasa bakuran ng simbahan, ang mga bunga'y sa gintong kopa sa simbahan naihambing ng mga tao.

"Maraming kopa!" ang bulalas naman ng marami.

Simula noon, ang tawag na ng mga tao sa simbahan ay “Doon sa maraming kopa,” na nang lumaon ay tinawag ng “makopa."

source: www.tagalog-dictionary.com

Sinjin P.

October 12th, 2006, 06:18 AM

Alamat ng Mangga

http://www.globalpinoy.com/ch/images/ch_filipinolit_alamat/ch_alamat_mangga.jpg

Kaisa-isang anak nina Aling Maria at Mang Juan si Ben. Mabait at matulungin siya. Nagmana siya sa kanyang mga magulang na mababait din naman. Isang araw, isang matandang pulubi ang kinaawaan ni Ben. Inuwi niya ang pulubi sa bahay, ipinagluto at pinakain. Isang araw naman, samantalang nangangahoy, isang matandang gutom na gutom ang nasalubong niya. Pinakain din niya ito at binigyan ng damit.

Makaraan ang ilang panahon, nagkasakit si Ben. Sa kabila ng pagsisikap ng mag-asawa na pagalingin ang anak, lumubha pa rin ang kanyang kalagayan hanggang sa siya’y bawian na ng buhay. Ganoon na lamang ang iyak ng mag-asawa. Kinabukasan, habang nakaburol ang kanilang anak, dumating ang isang diwata. Hiningi nito ang puso ni Ben, Ibinaon ng diwata ang puso sa isang bundok. Ito ay naging punongkahoy na may bungang hugis-puso. Marami ang nakikinabang ngayon sa bungang ito.

source: www.hawaii.edu/filipino

demented_pigeon

October 12th, 2006, 03:56 PM

Philippine literature? dapat kasali ang comic book genre dito.
though hindi ako gay, isang bright spot din ang gay lit ng pinas lalo na yung mga gawa ni danton remoto

etienne

October 12th, 2006, 04:05 PM

i have read f sionil's THE MASS, love it soo much.

other favorites:
You Lovely People - Bienvinido Santos
Twisted series - Jessica Zafra

demented_pigeon

October 12th, 2006, 04:08 PM

the woman who had two navels by nick joaquin

Monsi

October 24th, 2006, 05:11 PM

...during our brief Legazpi meet with Dex that boyhaha's into literature... reviewing this thread reveals he is. Looks like Lili's into it also...

'Evening, everyone...

'Hope to read reviews on expatriate literature--I read and reread Bienvenido Santos' Scent of Apples and other stories. If only I could get more of Nadine Sarreal (I have read "Hang, Man" anthologized in Brainard's Contemporary Fiction by Filipinos in America) and Paulino Lim (I have a copy of his Curaçao Cure and other stories).

What's almost non-existent are fiction by Filipinos in the Middle East. Of course, Dalisay has "Woman in the Box" (Palanca winner) and Wilfrido Pa. Virtusio "Voice Tape" (anthologized by Lumbera and Nograles-Lumbera) but I doubt it if they ever experienced living in Saudi Arabia or any ME shiekdom. Coincidentally, the settings of these two pieces reflect repatriation, not actual expatriation.

I see you also visit "Our Own Voice." (http://www.ourownvoice.com/) I'm sure selections there would conjure up memories and nostalgia...

Wonderboy

October 24th, 2006, 07:32 PM

Favorite Filipino Books/ Authors

Fiction

The Butcher, The Baker, The Candlestickmaker by Gilda Cordero Fernando (I was able to buy several copies of the 2nd edition, published in 1962 --- nakakatuwa yung address ng publishing: Benipayo Press located at Calle Misericordia , Sta. Cruz, Manila (Tomas Mapua Street na ngayon).

Feast and Famine (short story collection) by Rosario Cruz Lucero (a writer from Bacolod who also happens to be my master's thesis adviser.)

Sky Over Dimas by Vicente Groyon --- MFA Creative Writing grad from DLSU (this is the only novel I enjoyed reading.)

Happy Endings by Luis Joaquin Katigbak (not because we know each other he he...)

Life Before X and Other Stories by Angelo Lacuesta (my first prof. in UP fiction class)

Manananggal Terrorizes Manila and Other Stories by Jessica Zafra (I think this is her only short story collection)

Hand of the Enemy by Kerima Polotan (forget the fact that she writes for the Marcoses...her novels and stories are good, anyway)

Bread of Salt and other stories by N.V.M. Gonzales

Siyempre, Noli Me Tangere at El Filibusterismo (my prof. said that no other Filipino author had surpassed what Rizal had written and I agree)

Likhaan Anthologies (1995 to 2002)

Ani 31 (Love Issue) CCP's Literary Yearbook

Saka na yung non-fiction dahil masyadong marami...

Lili

October 24th, 2006, 07:40 PM

Wonderboy

October 24th, 2006, 07:45 PM

^^ You're very much welcome, Lili.

For those who are into Philippine Literature in English, below is the "official" website:

http://www.panitikan.com.ph/

Monsi

October 25th, 2006, 02:16 AM

Thanks for the link, Wonderboy...

Lili, you'll love Jaime An Lim's "Axolotl Colony." I read it in Isagani Cruz's anthology and it's available at the link Wonderboy gave us.

Lili

October 25th, 2006, 04:02 AM

Thanks again Monsi and Wonderboy. I will try to read those recommendations of yours. I always look forward to reading works of Filipino writers. :)

Monsi

October 27th, 2006, 02:19 PM

Brainard's "Flip Gothic" has not lost relevance with today's threads and emails... though we are fast losing the art of letter writing (snail mail). You'll find the text here...http://www.palhbooks.com/Brainard2.htm

More short stories here...http://www.sushidog.com/bpss/appendix.htm

and here...http://www.geocities.com/icasocot/shortstories.html

Wonderboy

October 27th, 2006, 04:46 PM

I would like to read the correspondence via snail mail of Jose Rizal and Ferdinand Blumentritt. Does anyone know any weblink? Perhaps a compilation of the letters in book form?

Monsi

October 29th, 2006, 07:04 AM

Here...http://www.univie.ac.at/Voelkerkunde/apsis/aufi/rizal/rbcorr.htm

...from here:http://www.univie.ac.at/Voelkerkunde/apsis/aufi/fblumen.htm

To all of you...have a nice week ahead...

Wonderboy

October 29th, 2006, 07:02 PM

^^ Thank you, Monsi. I will drop by NHI office this week and buy the book.

Lili

November 18th, 2006, 06:33 AM

delete dp

Lili

November 18th, 2006, 06:34 AM

```````Philippine Expressions Bookshop
and Remy's On Temple, an art gallery
are proud to sponsor the launching of

UG: AN UNDERGROUND TALE.
The Journey of Edgar Jopson and
the First Quarter Storm Generation

by Benjamin Pimentel

Saturday, November 18, 2006
3:00pm - 6:00pm

Remy's on Temple, an art gallery
2126 W Temple Street, Historic Filipinotown
Los Angeles, CA (West of Alvarado St.)

Reception at 6:00pm
Free to the Public but RSVP necessary.
(310) 514-9139 or email <linda_nietes@sbcglobal.net>
Street parking only.
====

About the Book:

2006. Anvil Publishing, Philippines.
238 pages. Paperbound.
Foreword by Sen. Jovito R. Salonga and an
afterword by Gloria A. Jopson Kintanar.

At 22, Edgar Jopson, or Edjop, had everything: money, education, national recognition. But he gave up his
life of privilege to join the underground movement -the U.G. This book traces the unique, dramatic odyssey
of the most intriguing figure of the First Quarter Storm and of the generationof young Filipinos who helped shape Philippine history.

"Extremely absorbing .. This is not just the biography of one person; it is the history of a generation." -
Journalist Jose F. Lacaba on 'The Unusual Journey of Edgar Jopson'.

The following is an excerpt from the column of Sylvia L Mayuga, 'Mixed Media: Facts more powerful than
fiction' which appeared on INQ7.net dated August 6, 2006.

"THE PAST weeks of war and equally deadly world weather also brought encounters with two new books by
and for Filipinos who like diving into literature and history's missing links for a pulse of where all this
is going.

In perfect balance, the first was a work of the imagination – the novel "Salamanca" by Dean Francis
Alfar in the Philippines; the second was gritty journalism--"U.G.: The Journey of Edgar Jopson and the
First Quarter Storm Generation"--by Benjamin Pimentel, now working for the San Francisco Chronicle. Together
they prove again how truth is stranger and often more powerful than fiction.

Author Benjie Pimentel, 42, has gone public with Edjop's story a total of four times – first as an
article for National Midweek magazine in 1986, the fourth anniversary of his death in 1982. Delving into
the details of such death at the hands of the Philippine military, with the usual unspeakable traces
of extra-judicial style, creates a painful resonance with a present under Gloria Arroyo.

Next came the book "Edjop: The Unusual Journey of Edgar Jopson" written with the help of his widow Joy,
who put Pimentel in touch with the deep communist underground. After two years of clandestine
interviews, mostly in Mindanao where Edjop last operated as head of the NDF's Mindanao Commission, the
book was launched in 1989. That was the moment of breakthrough for many untold tales, in the season of
shock over the first discovery of the mass graves of many young comrades tortured and killed in the
internal CPP purge of suspected military deep penetration agents in 1987.

In 1991, perhaps in response to the backlash that gravely eroded CPP/NPA/NDF credibility, the book was
republished with a new title, "Rebolusyon : A Generation of Struggle in the Philippines," part of
the "Voices of Resistance" series published by the Monthly Review Press in New York. This time it had a
foreword by the late Ramsey Clark, the passionately activist former U.S. Attorney General much loved by
the Philippine Left, and an afterword by the NDF worthy Edicio de la Torre.

Like the second and third, the fourth version in "U.G." adds new layers to the epic of the Philippines'
new communist movement that was born in the politically tectonic sixties and cut its teeth in the
martial law 70s, enjoyed a phenomenal growth spurt in the marching 80s – only to end the decade in a fateful
political misreading of the times that led to absence at EDSA I and a new era of People Power "revolution."

Pimentel touches upon its consequences, but the focus remains on Edjop, in whose story we find all the
elements of classic tragedy. Avoiding hagiography, the author does justice to its unfolding – from the humble
birth of a future hero, his molding under Jesuit influence, a Catholic campus leader's first major
street encounter with the rabidly Red Kabataang Makabayan (Nationalist Youth), on to the crisis of
conscience that eventually made Edgar Jopson join them all the way to the "u.g." where he eventually,
poignantly lost his life 19 days after his 34th birthday.

Underground sources, absence of sentimentality or overstatement, grace notes on interconnections in the
lives of young student leaders meeting again on opposite sides of the Cold War's lethal ideological
divide – all these are woven together in clipped journalistic style. There are many ways to skin a cat
– or recount its drowning. Reading of Edjop's capture and killing by Nelson Estares, a fellow student leader
in the National Union of Students back in the 60s, needs little literary embellishment to provoke horror
and pity as deeply as any Greek drama.

There's much more of the untold for the general audience to discover in "U.G.". That's not a plug as
much as it's a lifeline. What we suffer today in this country and elsewhere in the world is really partly
due to ignorance of what really happened other than what the media said, or didn't, back then."

About the Author:

Benjamin Pimentel was born in Manila in 1964, grew up in Quezon City and was educated at the Ateneo de
Manila, the University of the Philippines, Diliman and the University of California at Berkeley. He served as
editor-in-chief of the Philippine Collegian in 1984. He moved to the United States in 1990 and earned a
master's degree from the U.C. Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism in 1993. He then joined the San Francisco Chronicle, California's second largest newspaper, covering a range of beats and stories, from
the public policy debates over race and immigration in California in the early 1990's, the rise and fall of
Joseph Estrada, to the corporate battles in the technology world that followed the dot-com crash. He
currently covers Silicon Valley giants Hewlett-Packard, Sun Microsystems and Oracle.

He co-produced 'Toxic Sunset', the award-winning documentary on the enviromental damage caused by the
U.S. bases in the Philippines, produced by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism. His
series in the Chronicle on the same subject was named best investigative report by the Press Club of the
East Bay in 2001. In the same year, he received the Filipinas Magazine Achievement Award for
Communications. In September 2005, he started Kuwento Kuwento podcasts (www.filipinopodcasts.blogspot.com), a blog featuring interviews with Filipinos such as
hiphop artist Apl.de.Ap, journalist Glenda Gloria and folk music artists Pendong Aban and Lolita Carbon of
Asin. He is also currently co-anchor of 'Balitang America', a weekly news program of ABS-CBN
International's The Filipino Channel.

======

This event is part of the ongoing program of Philippine Expressions Bookshop to reach out to the
Filipino American community in Los Angeles. Our programs are intended to increase the visibility of
the Fil Am community and to introduce to mainstream America the creative talents of Filipinos and Filipino
Americans in literature and the arts. The programs also create a deeper awareness for popular issues
among members of the Fil Am community.

It is the fourth in a series of launchings, and the last for the year, to commemorate the 2006
Centennial of Filipino Immigration to America, highlighting the current group of talented writers
who have evolved since the first group of farmworkers arrived.

The Bookshop is a Coral Sponsor of the Centennial Celebration which was initiated by the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. as part of their Asian Pacific American Program.
======

Wonderboy

December 7th, 2006, 05:51 PM

This years' must haves:

http://anvilpublishing.com/stacks/pic2k6/youngblood3prev.jpg

Youngblood 3 is a collection of fifty-three essays by writers 20 years and below, distilled from six years of Youngblood articles from 1999 to 2004. The pieces best represents the youth’s changing experience and how they fit in the long, dense lineage of the previous Youngblood collections. Articles are arranged mostly in chronological order but also in a way that represents the brave and eventful journey of the young to adulthood. Topics range from unlikely romance, food, philosophy, wedding rings, personal technology, holidays, chess, vermin, vices, virtues and more.

In the Introduction, the book’s editor Ruel de Vera sets the tone for the essays: “In a world of instant noodles and instant messages, the important things endure. The column still stands there, unbowed and unchanged, on the far right of page A11, still full of dreams and dilemmas. Its continued popularity speaks of Youngblood’s place in the lives of a generation more used to clicking on pages rather than turning them…. It’s a vibrant testament to a readership whose power has, after all, transformed the word ‘gimmick’ from trick to trip.”

http://anvilpublishing.com/stacks/pic2k6/manilaprev.jpg

Edited by award-winning writer and visual artist Erlinda E. Panlilio, the book is a collection of essays by 12 women reminiscing on the Manila of a bygone era. Fondly remembered in the pieces are the elite enclaves of Malate, the elegant Escolta, the genteel suburbs of Quezon City and San Juan and the exciting birth of “new town” Makati. With their recollections the women relieve family histories that bring back so vividly strong feelings of pain, longing, old prejudices and the gaiety and fun of a simpler time. These retellings aim to preserve significant episodes of the past so that future generations of readers and researchers may have a glimpse of different face of Manila.

The contributors of the book are Laling H. Lim, Henrie R. Santos, Anna Isabel Pamplona, Lourdes R. Montinola, Josefina P. Manahan, Millette Tañada Ocampo, Erlinda Enriquez Panlilio, Maria Cristina D. Olbes, Lolita Delgado Fansler, Gizela M. Gonzalez, Wynn Wynn Ong and Mert Loinaz.

In the Foreword, teacher and writer Cristina Pantoja Hidalgo states that “what makes the collection special is that it is a celebration of the place and everything that it means to the author, even if sometimes the picture it paints might be a bit smudged by the recollection of fear or pain or irrecoverable loss. This little volume is also a valuable contribution to the lore that accumulates about every great city in the world – part social history, part myth, and part love song.”

bagel

December 7th, 2006, 08:09 PM

Nobody's mentioned anything yet about the
2006 Carlos Palanca Awards for Literature.
Anyway, the awards were given in September this year. Here they are.

Some of these works were put up online on the wonderful Literatura (http://www.geocities.com/phil_literatura/main.html) website. I've linked to some of the individual winners below, but please do visit Literatura. It's a really cool website.

Dulang Pampelikula
1st Place – Cenon O. Palomares (Kusina)
2nd Place – Jim Diamond M. Libiran (Tribu)
3rd Place – Carlos A. Arejola (Ang Mundo ay Iisa at Marami)

Dulang Pantelebisyon
1st Place – Rodolfo R. Lana Jr. (Milagroso)
2nd Place – Jose Dennis C. Teodosio (Pulo (http://www.geocities.com/phil_drama/teodosio_pulo))
3rd Place – Bonifacio P. Ilagan (Negatibo)

Dulang Ganap ang Haba
1st Place – Ma. Josephine C. Barrios (Gabriela)
2nd Place – Timothy Dacanay (Teatro Porvenir)
3rd Place – Liza Magtoto (’Nay Isa)

Dulang May Isang Yugto
1st Place – Job A. Pagsibigan (The Palanca in My Mind)
2nd Place – Joel V. Almazan (Aba Ginoong Mag-asawa)
3rd Place – Christian U. Tordecillas (Dyip (http://www.geocities.com/phil_drama/tordecillas_dyip))

Sanaysay
1st Place – Rosario Torres - Yu (Batang Tundo)
2nd Place – Elyrah L. Salanga (Talambalay (http://www.geocities.com/phil_essays/salanga_talambalay))
3rd Place – Ramon M. Bernardo (Alingawngaw ng mga Kuliglig, Kalansing ng mga Tansan)

Kabataan Sanaysay
1st Place – Wilminia J. Balon (Package)
2nd Place – Allan Jay. T. Allonar Jr. (Ang Pangako kay Asterz)
3rd Place – No Winner

Tula
1st Place – Rebecca T. Añonuevo (Sa Tanda ng Pagsisimula ng Buhay)
2nd Place – Maria Josephine C. Barrios (Salit-salitang mga Tula ng Pagsulyap, Pakikibaka at Paglingap)
3rd Place – Emmanuel V. Dumlao (Salamangka ng Santelmo)

Futuristic Fiction - Filipino
1st Place – Michael Francis C. Andrada (Tala-Huli / Huling Tala: Si Manong, Sa Dyip, Ang Drayber at Ako, Ako Lang Naman, Ang Kanyang Pasahero (http://www.geocities.com/phil_stories/andrada_talahuli))
2nd Place – Enrique C. Villasis (De-Lata (http://www.geocities.com/phil_stories/villasis_delata))
3rd Place – Vladimeir B. Gonzales (Lunes, Alas Diyes ng Umaga)

Maikling Kuwentong Pambata
1st Place – Bernadette V. Neri (Ang Ikaklit sa Aming Hardin)
2nd Place – Maynard G. Manasala (Taguan-Pung)
3rd Place – Allan Alberto N. Derain (Ang Regalo ng Taong Ibon)

Maikling Kuwento
1st Place – Eros S. Atalia (Si Intoy Syokoy ng Kalye Marino (http://www.geocities.com/phil_stories/atalia_intoy))
2nd Place – Kristian Sendon-Cordero (Langaw (http://www.geocities.com/phil_stories/cordero_langaw))
3rd Place – Edgar B. Maranan (Buwan at Lupa (http://www.geocities.com/phil_stories/maranan_buwan))

Maikling Kuwento – Cebuano
1st Place - Lamberto Ceballos (Ang Ungo sa San Pilar)
2nd Place – Richel G. Dorotan (Dayaspora)
3rd Place – Eleazar T. Acampado (Mata sa Bagyo)

Maikling Kuwento – Hiligaynon
1st Place – Leoncio P. Deriada (Duta para sa mga Iskolar sang Banwa)
2nd Place – Peter S. Nery (Ang Kapid (http://www.geocities.com/phil_stories/nery_kapid))
3rd Place – Bryan Mari Argos (Sagal-i (http://www.geocities.com/phil_stories/argos_sagali))

Maikling Kuwento – Iluko
1st Place – Bernardo D. Tabbada (Nabungon Iti Lawag)
2nd Place – Danilo B. Antalan (Tugot)
3rd Place – Arnold P. Jose (Ni Ina Baket Gimma, Ti Aso, ken Ti Atang)

English Division

Full-Length Play
1st Place – Glenn S. Mas (The Death of Memory (http://www.geocities.com/phil_drama/mas_memory))
2nd Place – Amelia L. Bonifacio (Chinchina and the Five Mountains)
3rd Place – Maria Clarissa Estuar (Ask Me Again When I’m Thirty (http://www.geocities.com/phil_drama/estuar_30))

One-Act Play
1st Place – Steven Prince C. Fernandez (Ming Ming)
2nd Place – Joachim Emilio B. Antonio (Gabrielle)
3rd Place – Nikki Alfar (Life After Beth (http://www.geocities.com/phil_drama/alfar_beth))

Poetry
1st Place – Lawrence L. Ypil (The Highest Hiding Place (http://www.geocities.com/phil_literatura/12_ypil.html))
2nd Place – Sid G. Hildawa (Building a House, and other Poems (http://www.geocities.com/phil_literatura/12_hildawa.html))
3rd Place – Raymundo T. Pandan Jr. (Illuminations and Sonorities (http://www.geocities.com/phil_literatura/12_pandan.html))

Futuristic Fiction
1st Place – No Winner
2nd Place – Corinna Esperanza A. Nuqui (Suman (http://www.geocities.com/phil_stories/nuqui_suman))
3rd Place – Arturo Ilano (A Monumental Race (http://www.geocities.com/phil_stories/ilano_race))

Short Story
1st Place – Socorro Villanueva (Mahogany Water (http://www.geocities.com/phil_stories/villanueva_mahogany))
2nd Place – Myrza Sison (Sink or Swim (http://www.geocities.com/phil_stories/sison_sink))
3rd Place – Ma. Celeste Flores-Coscolluela (Trips)

Short Story for Children
1st Place – Ma. Celeste Flores-Coscolluela (Cut)
2nd Place – Grace D. Chong (Big Brother)
3rd Place – Dean Francis Alfar (How Rosang Taba Won a Race (http://www.geocities.com/phil_stories/alfar_rosangtaba))

Essay
1st Place – Jose Edmundo O. Reyes (Fungibility, Dead Souls and OCWs)
2nd Place – Edgar B. Maranan (Hometown Stories and Footnotes to Childhood’s End (http://www.geocities.com/phil_essays/maranan_hometown))
3rd Place – Martin V. Villanueva (He’d Rather be Relevant (http://www.geocities.com/phil_essays/villanueva_relevant))

Kabataan Essay
1st Place – Katrina G. Gomez (Restructuring Idealism)
2nd Place – Ryan Edward L. Chua (Home)
3rd Place – Hannah L. Co (Coming Home)

- END -

Lili

December 7th, 2006, 10:05 PM

^ I would like to write something good enough to submit as an entry for Palanca awards (and win), if only I can write better and come up with a worthy literary piece.

bagel

December 7th, 2006, 10:21 PM

I'd like to know what futuristic fiction is. How is it set apart from other forms of modern fiction?

drfeelgood17

December 8th, 2006, 02:18 AM

^ I would like to write something good enough to submit as an entry for Palanca awards (and win), if only I can write better and come up with a worthy literary piece.

Have your written much Lili? Is it poetry, short stories?

Lili

December 8th, 2006, 02:19 AM

^^ Actually, no. :D

drfeelgood17

December 8th, 2006, 02:24 AM

^Really? You sound as if you have. Maybe you should start writing, don't worry about literary prizes for now. You can always post some on SSC, if you're feeling brave.

Hawayano

December 9th, 2006, 10:04 PM

Okay, gang, maybe this belongs in the Spanish language thread, but I need clarification: my cousin argues against me that Ninay is not the first Filipino novel. Can one of the classic scholars of SSC-Philippines verify? I wonder if Animo can give us a summary of the story (in English)?

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c211/hawayano/Jan2005065.jpg

Wonderboy

December 9th, 2006, 10:13 PM

^^ That's right. According to our professor in UP, Ma'am Jing Hidalgo, Ninay is the first Filipino novel (written in Spanish in 1880).

This was followed by the first Philippine novel in English, A Child of Sorrow (1921) by Zoilo Galang (1895-1959), which is a simplistic and melodramatic story of thwarted love -- in essence, a Tagalog novel written in English.

Hawayano

December 9th, 2006, 10:16 PM

:) :) :) ^^ I knew I could get the right answer from you, Wonderboy! Grazie! Now someone owes me a dozen Aristocrat ensaimadas! Hehehe

Wonderboy

December 9th, 2006, 10:25 PM

^^ Talking about food, I bought new book yesterday:

http://img292.imageshack.us/img292/3489/govgenprevjv9.jpg

The Governor-General's Kitchen
Philippine Culinary Vignettes and Period Recipes 1521-1935

By Felice Sta. Maria

The Governor-General’s Kitchen gathers interesting and little-known stories from historical sources about the Philippines’ culinary culture from 1521 to 1935. Read about the circumnavigators’ first picnic in the Philippines, efforts to stem hunger in a pioneering Spanish colony, carabao-horn spoons to maintain quiet during meals of nuns loyal to a vow of silence, banquets and balls of the well-heeled and the noble, devil’s ice, Christ’s food, seditious plottings at the King’s bakery in Intramuros, mythical pygmy Dinahon who introduced kalan and palayok, early lumpia, the origins of carinderia, and much more. The Governor-General’s Kitchen is a must-have for all who enjoy cooking, eating, and conversing about food.

Hawayano

December 9th, 2006, 10:28 PM

You pick the coolest books, WBoy! I wonder where your paychecks go? Joke:) Too bad we're not next-door neighbors--I would borrow all the time! Heheh

Wonderboy

December 9th, 2006, 10:35 PM

^^ He he. Actually, that book took me by surprise. I was all set to Anvil to buy a few books and my budget was around P500. I went there last week so my plan was to buy some books that I missed.

So there I was...picking up Tropical Gothic by Nick Joaquin, Killing Time in a Warm Place by Butch Dalisay, Youngblood 3, two copies of war books for friends, etc. and before I knew it, it's already around P2,000++.

But it's a good investment to buy books. It's nice to read a good at 2 a.m. and sipping hot chocolate while it's raining cats and dogs.

Hawayano

December 9th, 2006, 10:43 PM

^^ @ W-Boy: did I tell you that I finally got a set of Filipino Heritage, the 10 volumes printed by Lahing Pilipino under Chino Roces in the 1970s? Man, it cost me an arm and a leg, though, at USD 500. Talk about desperate (or is this how Imelda started with those shoes?)...

Wonderboy

December 9th, 2006, 10:52 PM

That's P25,000! And that's my book budget for one year!

I think CCP has the same set of books. It's also around 10 volumes but only around P5,000.

Hawayano

December 9th, 2006, 11:06 PM

^^ Dang! I got taken, diba? Siguro I should go list tem sa eBay so I can recoup my losses :?

Hawayano

December 9th, 2006, 11:16 PM

Aside from the classic or academic literature of a nation, you have its print items whose original purpose was short-term and not meant to be saved as durable goods. These brochures, pamphlets, program booklets, etc., form an important body of works for scholars seeking first-hand information. Characteristically biased at times, they do reflect and preserve evidence of the values and norms of another era:

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c211/hawayano/manilahoteltag.jpg

What a colonial tableau!

overtureph

December 10th, 2006, 02:31 AM

overtureph

December 10th, 2006, 02:34 AM

That's P25,000! And that's my book budget for one year!

I think CCP has the same set of books. It's also around 10 volumes but only around P5,000.

Just in case, where in CCP? Thanks.

Hawayano

December 10th, 2006, 04:22 AM

Wow! Impressive, do you have a copy of this book? Looks like it's an ex-libris.

@ overtureph: yes, this is my copy of Ninay. Some years ago, I purchased it from a Califronia man who was trying to sell me a whole collection of Spanish books at the time. I always wondered what it would be worth if I were to auction it off :lol:

bagel

December 10th, 2006, 04:46 AM

Wow that's really a rarity. If you read the story, it's pretty boring actually. Full of melodrama. No wonder it never made it as a popular novel.

Edit... but yeah, like I said in an earlier post, Pedro Paterno's novel was notable in that it is the first work of fiction written in the Philippines in western prose style that documents Filipino cultural practices. If I recall correctly (and it's been so long since i've read the portions of the Ninay), it deals with love. An evil nobleman who falls in love with a Filipina woman who is already in love with someone else, a simple Filipino. The story is a tragedy, in which the nobleman marries the woman. The filipino man is hurt, dies (by his hand or by the hands of the nobleman? I forget). The Filipino woman's heart is broken by his death and she too dies.

It seems that 150 years since, Filipino fiction has not changed that much in terms of basic storyline. :lol:

But then when you compare this kind of story to a complex and powerful morality tale like Rizal's novel, you kind of see why it is most people falsely think of the Rizal as the first Filipino novel.

surfsam

December 10th, 2006, 11:37 AM

Ninay is groundbreaking only because it was ahead of Noli and Fili. But in terms of its narrative, it is weepy and digressing.

Today's readers will find it interesting as a thinly-disguised fictional account of the life and times of Filipinos during the 19th century. Its value is by and large, historical.

Lili

December 11th, 2006, 02:18 AM

^ The storyline is almost like the story of the unrequited love between Leonor Rivera and Jose Rizal.

bagel

December 11th, 2006, 02:31 AM

Yes... a good writer might be able to make a story that melodramatic to work, but Pedro Paterno wasn't really a very good writer, as prolific as a journalist as he might have been.

Tulisanes

December 12th, 2006, 09:05 AM

i want to share this piece i discovered from project gutenberg. did anyone know that it used to be the words ng and mga were written as n~g and m~ga respectively, meaning with a tilde sign or what was referred to as kilay na kulot in tagalog?

sample this excerpt from a 1906 literature entitled "Juan Masili o Ang pinuno ng tulisan" by a certain patricio mariano:

JUAN MASILI
Ó
ANG PINUNO N~G TULISAN

Ang bayan n~g S. José at kanyáng m~ga nayon n~g lalawigang Morong ay
balot katahimikan at ang kadiliman ay naghahari sa m~ga lansan~gan,
kaparan~gan at m~ga bulu-bundukin.

Waláng gumagambalà sa piping kapanglawan n~g gabing nangyari ang
simulá n~g kasaysayang itó, liban sa tilaukan n~g m~ga manok na
nagsasabing ang sandalíng iyon ay hating gabi.

Walang anó anó, sa gitnâ n~g katahimikan ay nadin~gig ang yabag n~g
isang kabayo sa may hulo n~g nayong Masantol na nalalayo sa bayan n~g
may m~ga limang libong dipá.

Ang takbong matulin n~g kabayo'y humina n~g nalalapit na sa nayon,
at n~g natatanaw na ang unang bahay ay huminto at ang nakasakay ay
lumunsad.

Kung pagmamalasing mabuti ang anyo n~g naglalakbay na iyon sa hating
gabi ay makikita, na, siya'y isang binatang lumabás pumasok sa
dalawang pu't dalawang taon; ang kanyang pagmumukhang nasan~gag sa
init n~g araw ay nagpapahayag n~g isang kalamigang loob na may halong
katalaghayang makaaakit sa sino mang makakaharáp; datapwa't ang
kaniyang magandang tindig, ang anyo niyang banayad at ang kaliwanagan
n~g kaniyang noo na wari'y nagsasabing hindi naugali sa pagyuko,
ay nalalaban mandin sa kanyang kagayakan na binubuo n~g isang
_mambisa_ at _pantalong_ kulay abó, salakót na may palamuting
gintô at pilak, _botas de montar, espuelas_ na pilak, isang
_balaraw_, dalawang revolver sa magkabilang baywang at isang _rifle_.

Nang makahinto na't maitali ang kabayo sa isang puno ay pinagduop ang
dalawang kamay sa labi at ginayahang makaitló ang huni n~g bahaw.

Hindi pa man halos napapawi ang tunóg n~g huni'y nagban~gon ang isá
katao sa isang buntón n~g yagít na nalalayó n~g may m~ga dalawang pung
hakbang ang agwat sa kinatatayuan n~g ating binata.

--Bigyán pó ni Bathala n~g magandang gabí ang aking kapitán--ang bati
n~g buman~gon sa buntón n~g yagít.

:)

georgerev

June 26th, 2007, 09:39 AM

Hope you guys won't mind such a thread.

It's just that I could not help but think of the book whenever I browse through many of the threads in the forum.

How do you relate to it? What do you think of it's significance and characters portrayed?

I recently brought up the subject in an uneventful evening with my teenaged nieces and nephews ...and was a bit saddened to know that they simply did not care for it at all.

Hmmmm....

gen1

June 26th, 2007, 11:33 AM

I like the character of sisa, but then again i'm a sucker for a mother's love for her children.

the Fr Holscher, errrr, padre damaso character is also memorable. also kapitan tiago and his apyan :lol:

damn, i haven't perused the book in over 25 years but I still remember it :)

Sinjin P.

June 26th, 2007, 11:38 AM

http://joserizal.ph/no01.html <--with complete summaries, study guides, characterization, etc.

JustHorace

June 26th, 2007, 12:06 PM

Sinjin P.

June 26th, 2007, 12:09 PM

^ Have you read El Filibusterismo already?

habagatcentral1

June 26th, 2007, 01:58 PM

El Fili is dark and vengeful. Inspired by the Count of Monte Cristo.

Wind Shear

June 26th, 2007, 03:00 PM

I hated Noli Me Tangere back in sophomore year. I thought, what's the point of reading a Spanish literary masterpiece in Tagalog? But in the end, I really liked the story. You'll get used to the deep Filipino words somehow as you read.

Me as well since I'm flunked in Filipino (Tagalog) since high school. But how I wish someone is printing in English. If there's none, Tagalog with plenty of annotations.

salamangkero

June 26th, 2007, 03:19 PM

anyone having a copy of the 13 part Noli Me Tangere series (produced by CCP during the early 90s)?

georgerev

June 27th, 2007, 01:13 AM

anyone having a copy of the 13 part Noli Me Tangere series (produced by CCP during the early 90s)?

The CCP produced series is being shown currently on cable tv -- in Skycable, I believe it's channel 42. The series is an excellent effort by the CCP and the director, Eddie Romero - to bring to life Rizal's novel-- despite the limited resources and technology available at that time. Actors were carefully selected and the script stayed basically faithful to the book. Shot in Vigan, I believe.

The series, like the book itself is the type where you have to go over it a few times before it grows on you. The language is truly old time Tagalog but somehow you learn to appreciate it-- more specially so in this age of text talk.

I saw parts of the episode last night -- where Ibarra was being asked by Elias to lead their efforts. One can gimpse Rizal's personal conflict as both Crisostomo Ibarra and Elias become his mouthpiece.

habagatcentral1

June 27th, 2007, 07:36 AM

There is a missing chapter as according to my professors: "Kabanata X: Elias at Salome"

gen1

June 28th, 2007, 03:57 AM

Me as well since I'm flunked in Filipino (Tagalog) since high school. But how I wish someone is printing in English. If there's none, Tagalog with plenty of annotations.

there are english translations. not very good though as they made a literal translation.

the sequel to el fili is "Ang Mga Ibong Mandaragit". nice read, and the tagalog is not archaic.

georgerev

June 28th, 2007, 07:41 AM

there are english translations. not very good though as they made a literal translation.

the sequel to el fili is "Ang Mga Ibong Mandaragit". nice read, and the tagalog is not archaic.

I agree. I was checking around the net and many of those who are fluent in Spanish -who reviewed the novel --say translations take out Rizal's cutting edge style of writing. Kind of makes me regret not practicing my Spanish after I got out of college.
==============================
Heres' one excerpt from Amazon.com:

"The story of "Noli Me Tangere" is one of bitter ironies. It is the first major Filipino novel and one of the first novels in Asia written outside China and Japan. Yet it is written in a European language (Spanish). It is one of the first novels of anti-colonial rebellion, written by a man who was executed by the Spanish just as the country began its fight for independence.

In many ways the Philippines more resembles Latin America than its Asian neighbors. Both colonial Philippines and colonial Latin America were dominated by a corrupt, bigoted and dogmatic Catholicism. Both were colonized (more or less) by Spain and both regions had the same tensions between Spaniards, Spaniards born in the colonies, "mixed blood" and the indigenous majority. Both had to suffer the cruelties of a foreign country who looked down at the colonies with contempt. But Spanish never became the vernacular of the Philippines and after the United States' brutal conquest, only a tiny portion of Filipinos can read the founding novel of their own literature. To make things worse, the translation of the novel has been cursed with political malice.

Guerrero's translation subtly and not so subtly bowdlerizes the novel, blunting not only its fierce anti-clericalism and contempt, but also mangling Rizal's unique, cutting tone.

This translation is an improvement, though as Anderson points out, it is by no means perfect. As such one cannot be sure one appreciates Rizal's cunning, knowing, almost proto-modernist attitude towards the reader. As a result what we have may look a lot like a melodrama, as Juan Crisostomo Ibarra confronts grotesque injustices while he is falsely accused and cheated out of his love. Certainly we do not have an exemplar of realism like Rizal's contemporary, Benito Perez Galdos. One might think that the critique of Catholicism is very, very broad.

The priests and laity are fanatical about Purgatory, and exploit the inhabitants for money for indulgences that reminds me of the endless loyalty oath campaigns in "Catch-22." They denounce modern education and hamper the building of a necessary school, they are so cruel to Ibarra's father that his corpse ends up dumped in a river, they chortle smugly over the damnation of their enemies.

There are elaborate discussions of the many festivals and rituals of the Church that show a real talent for description. There are some fine scenes about being hampered and cursed by a callous bureaucracy and police. This is a novel that deserves a bigger audience and a better translation. "

Lili

June 28th, 2007, 08:09 AM

The hardest Tagalog read for me was Florante at Laura. Noli and Fili should be read in the language they were written -- Spanish.

gen1

June 28th, 2007, 09:22 AM

^^ you should have cheated and read the komiks version of florante and laura :lol:

I didn't like florante and laura. I hardly recall the characters and the plot so I must have really hated it.

Do you guys remember Impeng Negro by Rogelio Sikat ?

Lili

June 28th, 2007, 09:26 AM

Sinjin P.

June 28th, 2007, 10:13 AM

I always just buy those books with the chapter summaries, characterizations, Q&A study guides on Ibong Adarna, F&L, Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo so that I could thoroughly understand them. :D

kyle@1008

June 29th, 2007, 12:10 AM

I like reading the english translation by Madam Locsin,.... she used the spanish copy,... more interesting than the tagalog version...

ikra

June 29th, 2007, 12:13 AM

for some reason i dont like reading tagalog novels, and so i was quite lucky back in highschool that our social studies teacher made us use the english version

kyle@1008

June 29th, 2007, 12:20 AM

^^that's what our teacher told us.... we were required to use the filipino copy,.. we were having a hard time since all our subjects aside from filipino were in english... so she told us to use the english copies in the library which were in abundance, so enough for everybody....

georgerev

June 29th, 2007, 02:02 AM

^ I did. I read the komiks but those will not help me with the exams when they asked questions about some mythic allusions that Francisco Baltazar was so wont to use in his epic then. It's like the Iliad of Homer.

I have not read that Impeng Negro of Rogelio Sikat.

=) I also did that as well for the Noli and Fili. :)

I was very young and did not have much patience so I got my illustrated copy from National Bookstore in Cubao--(70s pa )when they were still at the Ground floor of the Araneta Coliseum. The illustrated version helped in getting me interested in the novel but it was not enough for exams.

nieto.de.aglipay

June 29th, 2007, 07:33 PM

For those who want to try reading it in the orig...

http://es.geocities.com/iberofilipino/Noli/nolitocframe.html

I'd love to see someone post a paragraph-by-paragraph Sp-Eng translation here or in the Foro-Filipino thread. My own Spanish is still not quite good enough.

Animo

June 29th, 2007, 07:42 PM

http://www.casavaria.com/books/linkgua/covers/LNK0037-rizal-200.jpg

NEW ANTHOLOGY OF RIZAL'S PLAYS, POEMS, IN ORIGINAL SPANISH

José Rizal fue el padre de la independencia de Filipinas. Su obra poética tiene un marcado interés en el mejoramiento humano y en la reflexión política. Confinado en Fuerte Santiago, en Manila, Rizal escribió al término de su vida el poema Mi último adiós. Se trata de un texto que sobrecoge por su entereza y la sensación que transmite el autor de que un destino íntimo y transcendental por igual lo rige en la hora de la muerte.

La obra dramática de Rizal se limita a dos obras teatrales, cada una de un acto que comprende una presentación de más o menos treinta minutos. Fueron escritas cuando el autor tenía diecinueve y estudiaba en la Universidad de Santo Tomás. Junto al Pasig expresa las profecías de Rizal acerca de una Filipinas esclava de los poderes imperialistas. Está escrita en el tradicional romance de octosílabos, propio del Siglo de Oro.

El consejo de los dioses refleja las convicciones de Rizal sobre el hispanismo. Escrita el abril de 1880, ganó el primer premio en el concurso patrocinado por el Liceo Artístico de Manila. El texto tiene sus raíces en la educación clásica recibida por Rizal de los jesuitas del antiguo Ateneo Municipal; mezcla personajes de la mitología griega junto a Cervantes como tema de polémica de los dioses. Expresa el amor de Rizal hacia la Hispanidad, y muestra al hispanismo como solución de nuestros males.

Esta antología comprende las dos obras de teatro que Rizal escribió (Junto al Pasig y El consejo de los Dioses) y una selección de sus mejores poemas.

---

José Rizal was the father of the Philippine cause for independence from Spain. His poetic works show a marked interest for the improvement of the human condition and serious politicla meditations. While confined to Fort Santiago, in Manila, he penned at the end of his life his last work in verse, "My Last Farewell". The text overwhelms for its completeness and the sensation of a transcendent yet intimate destiny he awaits at the hour of his